PUNTA GORDA — Thousands of cameras give the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office the intelligence needed to respond to dangerous situations.
The feed from these cameras is routed to eight screens in the CCSO Real-Time Intelligence Center, with a particular focus on public schools.
“Our No. 1 priority is school safety,” Charlotte County Sheriff’s Capt. John Heck said.
Heck spoke to media during a recent tour of the RTIC. Heck, who heads the agency’s Intelligence Unit, highlighted CCSO’s surveillance and response capabilities.
The room at CCSO Headquarters is staffed from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, with a crew of civilian and deputized staff reviewing footage from across the county.
The agency has access to roughly 4,000 cameras scattered throughout Charlotte County Public Schools, in addition to outdoor cameras with stores and within the city of Punta Gorda.
By bringing together those feeds, Heck said, deputies have a centralized hub if they need to respond to a situation at a school.